Nyx arrived at one of the inns near the city gates, as decided the previous night, with the party.
Samantha, as usual, walked in and sat beside him with an expression that screamed, I don't give a fuck. Valon and the quiet mage girl sat across from them.
"So, let's introduce ourselves again—just in case some half-insane noble forgot. I'm Valon," the swordsman said, clearly annoyed.
"Samantha here, and this one is Ruby," Samantha added casually.
"Half-insane noble, Nyx," he replied with a grin, mocking Valon right back.
Then he glanced at the mage. "She mute?"
"Mind your words, you bastard," Valon snapped, clearly not amused.
"Geez, man, chill. Just asking," Nyx said, hands raised defensively.
Before Valon could fire back, Samantha cut in, "She doesn't talk much around strangers. Don't mind her."
Nyx just gave a slight shrug and fell back into his thoughts.
---
"So, are all the preparations done? Valon—check your armor and sword. Ruby—make sure your mana potions are ready. And Nyx... do your thing," Samantha said, effortlessly stepping into the leader role.
"Uh... what are mana potions?" Nyx asked, genuinely confused.
Valon rolled his eyes hard enough to cause a shift in the atmosphere. "Tch... and this guy wants to be a merc. A mana potion helps you recover mana during battle. Understand, you dumb noble?"
"Understood, Mister All-Knowing," Nyx muttered, glaring.
"Cut it out, you two. Let's get going," Samantha interrupted, ending the short-lived argument as she led the group outside.
---
"Okay, who the hell thought this was a good idea?" Nyx muttered as he crouched beside a tree, eyes scanning the pack of Blood Wolves gathering in the valley below.
"What? Don't tell me you're scared shitless by just this?" Samantha said, tightening her grip on her daggers, completely unfazed.
"Alright, buckle up. Once they reach that ridge, we ambush. Clear?" she asked, glancing at each of them.
Everyone nodded, preparing themselves.
Nyx put his sword back into his inventory and was about to cast Fire Arrow when—
"Oii, shithead. She said prepare to attack, not take a nap," Valon whispered sharply, trying not to alert the wolves.
Nyx being Nyx, leapt into a nearby tree and flashed a smirk.
"I'm a mage, bitch."
Four fire arrows materialized in front of him and blasted forward like bullets, targeting the four wolves leading the pack.
As they reached their targets—
BOOM BOOM
The wolves' heads erupted in flames, leaving the rest of the pack scrambling in confusion.
Nyx turned around and saw the other three frozen in place.
"Attack, dumbasses."
He launched himself again, pulling his sword from system storage and activating Flame Channeling. He dropped onto another wolf and sliced through its skull.
"Show-off," Samantha muttered as she lunged at a nearby wolf. Her dagger pierced through one eye, then another. She danced around the chaos, stabbing with lethal precision until two more beasts hit the ground.
Meanwhile, something Nyx never expected was happening.
Ruby was calmly drowning wolves one after another with her water magic—vortexes of liquid swallowing them whole without a single drop of blood spilled.
Valon, on the other hand... performed an act that no proud knight should ever witness, let alone commit.
He ducked under one of the male wolves, thrust his sword forward, and obliterated the poor beast's family jewels.
"Oooofff... I can feel your pain, brother." Nyx winced at the wolf, which was now gurgling foam and twitching violently.
Then he turned to Valon, who was calmly wiping his sword off on the corpse's fur.
"Oii, bastard. Didn't you have something called knight's honor or some crap? That was dirty as hell. The dude lost his jewels!"
Valon didn't even blink. "I'm a mercenary. I don't have some bullshit code that makes battles harder."
He lunged at another wolf like nothing happened.
The fight continued until the last of the pack lay dead.
---
"Huff... that was one hell of a battle," Nyx said, flopping down on top of a pile of monster corpses, completely unfazed by the blood.
"What the fuck was that, dude? You're a mage?" Samantha asked, sliding her daggers back to her waist.
"Can't I be one? It's not illegal, right?" Nyx grinned. "Well, technically I'm a battle mage... of sorts."
He casually gulped down a mouthful of water.
"You could've informed us beforehand," Valon muttered, staring him down.
Nyx just shuddered, remembering exactly what Valon had done mid-battle.
"Learn some dignity first, bastard. That gave me chills."
Valon didn't say anything. Instead, he slowly glinted his sword... and stared directly at Nyx's crotch.
Nyx's soul momentarily left his body.
"O-oi, don't even think about that," he said, crossing his legs protectively.
"Pffft... hahaha," Samantha burst out laughing, while even Ruby cracked a small, amused smile.
Noticing it, Nyx tilted his head. "What's with you, Ruby? You've got some... interesting methods of execution."
Ruby shyly replied, "W-well, I don't like blood."
'Huh? Don't like blood... so she gives enemies the most gruesome deaths imaginable? That's the reason?'
Nyx's brain short-circuited for a second, but he swallowed his thoughts.
"That's really... cru—cool," he said, mid-sentence redirecting the tone after catching the murderous glint in Valon's eyes.
As he walked past Valon and stood beside Samantha, he leaned in and whispered,
"I'm sensing some strange chemistry here... but a perfect one. One drowns you, the other ruins your legacy."
---
Just as they were catching their breath, Nyx's senses flared—like a bell going off in his skull.
"Uhh... guys," he muttered, summoning his sword, "I think we've got company."
He stood up fast. The rest of the group felt it too—an overwhelming sense of impending doom barreling toward them like death on four legs. Every nerve screamed run.
"RETREA–" Samantha was mid-sentence when a massive shadow fell over the group, they instinctively looked towards the source of the shadow, then they saw–
A massive wolf—easily over five meters tall. Its fur was the color of blood. Its teeth, jagged and black as obsidian. Eyes glowed a deep, hellish red, filled with nothing but one emotion: Murder.
As it turned its gaze on them, the pressure hit like a weight on their chests.
'Shit..'
Everyone instinctively felt it– this was it.
Do or Die.
Without warning, the wolf lunged, claws sweeping forward with monstrous speed.
With quick decision making, Samantha quickly commanded the group to take actions.
"Valon, defend! Protect Ruby! Nyx, with me!"
She charged forward, and Nyx followed, casting Flame Channeling as his sword lit up like a burning sun. They blocked the incoming swipe, but even with both bracing the blow, they were flung back—boots scraping against dirt, balance stolen.
Nyx grunted under his breath, feeling the force echo down his arms.
Then—swoosh!
An ice spike screamed through the air and slammed into the wolf's eye.
It reeled back, snarling in agony, but pain only fueled its rage. Its massive body twisted, and it lunged—this time directly at Ruby.
Nyx and Samantha tried to intercept, but they were just a heartbeat too slow. The wolf's claw tore through their defense and crashed into Valon and Ruby.
Valon took it with a grunt—his armor absorbing most of the impact.
Ruby… wasn't as lucky.
The claw sliced into her side, sending her flying like a ragdoll. Her body slammed into a nearby tree with a sickening thud. She hit the ground and didn't move.
"RUBYYYY..." Valon's scream echoed across the clearing as he stumbled to her.
Samantha witnessing this scene couldn't control herself, her expression shattered as she saw her friend crumpled and bleeding.
Rage boiled in her chest, and she moved—ready to throw herself at the monster.
But a firm grip landed on her shoulder.
"Oii, lead… now's not the time for revenge. Get her to the nearest aid, fast."
He looked at Ruby, unconscious and blood-soaked.
"…She might not hold on long."
Nyx stepped forward, jaw clenched, flame Channeling burning hotter around his blade. He turned around, his grip tightening as he locked his eyes on his target.
"Run. As fast as you can, and save that girl. I'll hold this big bastard here."
Samantha hesitated for a moment but she quickly composed herself and could only nod as she went to Ruby and Valon.
As they retreated, she glanced back. Nyx stood alone—facing a monster that could tear him apart like paper.
"Please don't die."
---
"Oii, Sys. How much SP do I have right now?" Nyx said, eyes locked on the beast before him.
[Current SP: 6,810]
'Damn… I could've lived like a king for a while.'
"Distribute the stats, Sys."
As he stepped forward, sword in hand, flames wrapped tighter around the blade—roaring like a furnace.
Nyx cracked a grin.
"Let the game begin, beasty~"
[Distributing stats... failed!! Failed!!]
P.S. Ready for a showdown, people? Let's see what this shitty bastard is made up of. (I'm obviously talking about that foulmouthed brat, Nyx, not the cute beast.)Until then–
Stay healthy, Stay pure, just to get corrupted here~
–Clashercertified